Lowell W. Wilson will be inducted into the Wisconsin Library Hall of Fame at the Wisconsin Library Association annual meeting in Wisconsin Dells on October 19, 2017.

Lowell W. Wilson (1916-2015) contributed to advancing library service in Wisconsin as a library professional and library trustee for nearly 70 years. He was instrumental in forming statewide professional organizations for audio-visual professionals and served as president of the Wisconsin Audio-Visual Association from 1973-1976. In 1975, Lowell became active in WLA as a member of the division for trustees, chairing the group in 1991. He remained an active member of WLA and other organizations until the end of his life. He also served as a trustee of the Lakeshores Library System for nearly 30 years. Wilson was selected as the 2007 WLA Library Trustee of the Year. Around the same time, the Wisconsin Educational Media and Technology Association (WEMTA) established the Lowell Wilson Scholarship for individuals wishing to pursue certification as a Library Media or Instructional Technology Specialist.

As a library trustee, Wilson was constantly learning and encouraging other trustees to participate in library association conferences and leadership opportunities. He has attended most, if not all, Library Legislative Days in Madison, and took his advocacy responsibilities very seriously. He was a consistent protector of intellectual freedom, adamantly opposed censorship and Internet filtering, while defending a library patron’s right to privacy and freedom of access to information. He was described as a man in motion, always going forward.

Wilson retired in 1980 from the Janesville School District where he had taught Physics and was the Library Media Coordinator. In addition to his membership in professional organizations, Wilson was a pilot and member of the Experimental Aircraft Association. He was born in Union Grove on Nov. 11, 1916, and died at his home in Whitewater on June 30, 2015 at the age of 98.